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Sajid Javid, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government visited Belfast today (Thursday, December 7th) to meet partners and stakeholders developing the Belfast City Region Deal worth in the region of £1bn over ten years. It follows an announcement by the Chancellor in the Autumn Budget Statement that he will “open negotiations for a Belfast Region City Deal as part of a commitment to a comprehensive and ambitious set of City Deals for Northern Ireland.”

The Secretary of State was greeted by the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Cllr Nuala McAllister at Belfast City Hall before visiting the recently opened Immersive Hub in the former Belfast Telegraph building where he met a number of small businesses.

The main event was held at (ECIT) Electronics, Communications and Information Technology, Catalyst Inc, Queen’s Road in Belfast where the Secretary of State met local representatives from across the six city region councils, key stakeholders from the public and private sector and heard about the emerging ambitious plans for the city region deal.

The benefits of the deal include

• More and better jobs
• Inclusive growth with benefits shared across the region
• Improved skills aligned to opportunities
• Reduction in the skills gap and in educational equalities
• Targeted improvements in areas of high deprivation
• Growth in new business
• Increased opportunities for inward investment
• A more attractive proposition for private sector investment
• Improved collaborative working between councils and enhanced local government

The programme will act as a catalyst to level substantial private sector investment across the region and will support economic resilience. Sajid Javid, in an earlier tweet said: “Thrilled to visit Belfast today to hear how a City Deal that brings together private and public sectors could help to unlock huge economic potential of Belfast City Region. I love this city!”